When I grew up Yogi Berra was one of the great NY Yankees I always wanted to be. But being a catcher was boring, hot and sweaty, and a target not just for baseballs but mosquitoes. So it was interesting to observe a few years ago, that he was a manager and famous for quotes. I never knew that but his wonderful smile. As you grow older, you learn new things.
There are many ways to manage a business and keep improving and maximizing the resources you have, but I have tried really hard to be focused and not overwhelmed and hist quotes have helped.
He started as a catcher but wound up taking all of his experience and observations and kept growing his life skills as life progressed.
So when I saw this note by Emily and saw many newsletters I subscribed to I found it interesting how bigger teams than mine are reading them but expensing it. It’s definitely smart.
But is it wise?
What would Yogi think?
If you run it through Berra’s logic you get three real answers:
“Nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded.”
If everyone is using it then it’s most definitely best in class, or is it the easiest?
The moment a strategy is popular enough to be a top ten startup expense, it stops functioning as an edge. A playbook that’s public isn’t a playbook.
“You can observe a lot by just watching.”
This is the catcher’s whole job, distilled. You watch and sense the rhythm of the game and know exactly the situation on the ground.
Outsource the watching, and you’ve outsourced the only real advantage you had.
There are ways to mitigate this risk but are they?
“It ain’t over till it’s over.”
If it’s written down you are going to assume it’s the written testament but it’s not. Its a guide. Nothing is written in stone so…
Be OPTIMISTIC
“You can observe a lot by just watching”
Then I flipped the purpose of what Brex is saying and thought of something.
If you sell services into these industries, this data is gold. It’s a list of companies with budget allocated and a decision maker willing to sign off on outside expertise.
We now know what things worth watching is who’s already paying for exactly the kind of help you provide. That’s not commentary but free sales generation.
Ten championships weren’t won by reading someone else’s playbook. They were won by a catcher who watched closer than everyone else in the ballpark.
There is a reason they were called the Damn Yankees they were that good.
Eric
“You can observe a lot by just watching” probably applies to business better than most management books do.